Glowing Neon
by The.Dragon.Singer
Summary: The first time they saw her, was in the rec room while she was talking with the other femmes. The second time was when she was sparring with Ironhide. The third was in the rec room again, and they finally worked up enough nerve to talk to the elusive femme. Her designation is Nightbeat, and her story is tragic.
1. Found

The dark purple Eradicon kicked the crater by his foot with a growl, and then turned to his companion, who nodded.

The second Eradicon pressed the side of his helm, activating the comm-link that would patch them through to the Decepticon Commander.

"Commander Starscream, this is Squad Gamma-Eight. The crater has been examined; a Cybertronian definably landed here, maybe two."

"_I will send back-up. Eliminate them if they are Autobots._"

"Yes, sir."

The Eradicons looked around with their bright optics and strode away, down the small canyon. A dark blue helm rose from behind an outcropping of rocks, and the owner of the helm blinked her blue optics.

"They're gone. Let's go."

"Why are we sneakin' around?!" The blue femme's companion hissed, revealing his bright orange and red paint job to the sun. "We should be bustin' some Con heads in."

"In case you forgot, Blaster," The femme hissed, dragging herself from behind the rocks. "I am injured, and you tend to need close range backup, which I'm unable to give."

"Ah, don't get your panties in a twist, Nightbeat. I still got my cassettes." Blaster hummed, standing to his full height and helping the femme along. He practically carried the blue bot, as she was trying to keep her leg off the ground and from leaking Energon.

"I see you're already using the organic's slang." She snorted, directing him the opposite way the Eradicons had taken. "And your cassettes are in stasis because we lack Energon, remember?"

"Gotta fit in, ya know?" Blaster chuckled, ignoring her cassette comment in favour of peering around the corner of the canyon, turquoise optics searching for danger before they moved on.

"Pfft. There'll be nothing to fit in with if we don't find the Autobots. The 'Cons must have a jammer or something." Nightbeat snorted, wincing as she smacked her ankle of a sharp piece of rock.

"Should we try again?" Blaster asked, ducking into a large cave and placing the dark blue femme to the ground.

"It won't hurt to try." Nightbeat shook her head, and then pressed two fingers to the side of her helm. Blaster mirrored her movements.

"_This is Autobot Nightbeat. If any Autobot can hear me, please respond and bring a medic to these coordinates._"

"_This is Autobot Blaster. Any 'bot's out there, you wanna help us? We got 'Cons tryin' ta find us, and we can't fight. Requesting assistance at the following coordinates." _

The two Autobots shared hopeful looks before settling down to wait.

* * *

Dusk fell and Nightbeat lay against the rocks behind her, optics dim and underglow even dimmer. Normally her neon would have lit the cave up in a myrid of colours, but with her lack of Energon, and the flow steadily rushing out of her leg, there wasn't much she could do.

Blaster suddenly moved, crouching before her and drawing his blaster.

"Somebots coming." He growled, glancing back at Nightbeat, who shifted her own blasters into her hands.

"Over here. Gamma-Eight said they were around here somewhere."

"The...Eradicons." Nightbeat snarled quietly, charging up her blasters.

"No, Night. Don't shoot them. Save what Energon you have." Blaster scowled at her, pushing her blasters away from their spot.

"I plan to go down fighting. I'm not going to lay here like a dead glitch-mouse."

"Who'd have thought that an entertainment caste femme had this much fight in her?" The orange and red bot shook his head, and charged his own blasters.

A red optic appeared in the cave's mouth, and Blaster wasted no time in firing. However, the Eradicons were large in number and soon swarmed towards their hiding spot.

"_This is Autobot Blaster. We could really use some help."_

"Good thing I brought my cannons then."

"Iron...hide." A smile spread across Nightbeat's facial plates and her optics offlined.

The Eradicons turned to their new opponent, one trigger-happy weapons specialist, and there was a heap of them on the ground in seconds. Ironhide strode into the cave, ducking to grin at Blaster.

"It would have been nice of you to answer our comms." Blaster snorted, peering at Nightbeat.

"Yeah, yeah. If had gotten any, we would have. You're lucky I was in the area." The large black mech nodded to the femme. "What happened to her?"

"We had...an accident involving Starscream. It was fine until the wound reopened when we landed. She's been steadily leaking since early this cycle."

"Well, we'd better get her to Ratchet then." Ironhide lifted the femme bridal style and activated his comm.

"_Wheeljack, this is Ironhide. Activate a ground bridge at my coordinates. And prep the Hatchet, we've __got an injury._"

In answer to his comm, a glowing vortex appeared at the mouth of the cave.

"Let's go, Blaster. Prime will be glad to see you, and I'm sure Elita and the other femmes will be glad to see Nightbeat."

* * *

Ratchet was polishing his good wrenches when Wheeljack commed him.

"_Ratchet, this is Wheeljack. Ironhide said something about an injury._"

"_That aft-head is always injuring himself. He's nearly as bad as the devil Twins._" The medic growled, readying a berth and his tools before heading to the ground bridge room. The portal had to be contained, so that the humans, or clumsy bots, wouldn't accidentally trigger it.

The ground bridge was glowing when Ratchet appeared behind the old scientist who smiled, and gestured to the two approaching figures, one of which had another in his servos.

"Hey, Ratch." Ironhide grinned. "Look what I found! The Communications Officer and a Special Ops femme!"

"Idiots." Ratchet knew the signs of Energon dehydration. The femme and the Communications Officer displayed such symptoms. A wrench met Blaster's helm and he pouted, rubbing the new dent. "What have you been doing to get into such a state? Ironhide, take Nightbeat to my Med-bay."

"Sure thing, Doc." Ironhide nodded, moving to get out of the room. "And if she wakes up, I'll hit her over the head really hard."

"That will be unnecessary, Ironhide." Ratchet growled, grabbing Blaster's arm and dragging him along through the base.

"Well don't call me when she wakes up and starts screaming."


	2. Death

Nightbeat leaned against the table in the rec room, eyes fixed on the game Arcee, Moonracer and Flare-up were playing. Elita-One and Chromia were sitting around the table.

"I heard," Arcee looked up at the dark blue femme with a mischievous smirk. "That you started screaming when you woke up."

"Med-Bays are not exactly somewhere I like waking up in." Nightbeat scoffed, optics narrowing.

"I know the Hatchet is scary," Flare-up lay a card down and then took a sip of her Energon. "But the way you were screaming...I though he was hurting you."

"Femmes, enough. Let us be happy that Nightbeat is here, alive and well." Elita frowned, pausing her hand, which was polishing her blaster. Her pink armour shone like it hadn't done on Cybertron, those so many vorns ago.

"Yes, Elita." The two youngest femmes nodded, and had the decency to look ashamed as Nightbeat stared at them with hard optics.

"My past is also not something I would like to wake."

"Loosen up, Night." Chromia slung an arm over the darker blue femme's lower back and slid a cube of high-grade over. "Don't be such a stick in the mud."

"Is that an _order_, Chromia?" Nightbeat smirked, shifting on her pedes as she lifted the Energon cube.

"Just drink the damn thing."

The Autobot femmes laughed, drawing the attention of the mechs in the room. After the few years and months the femmes had been at the NEST base, it was still hard to get used to their presence.

"So tell us, Nightbeat," Moonracer hummed, placing several of her own cards down. "What happened after we left Cybertron?"

"After most of the femme units left with Hound," Nightbeat hummed, optics narrowing in thought. "Powerglide, First Aid, Hot Shot, Blaster and I did our best to hold the Autobot territory left. We managed to secure the Iacon libraries. However, two vorns after you left, we ran out of Energon and had to abandon the planet. As we were leaving, some 'Cons saw us and Blaster and I got separated from the other two."

"And the Iacon libraries?" Elita was stiff, a hopeful look in her eyes.

"When Wheeljack's inventions do work, they're extremely helpful. I saved the most important literature and art within the subspace device the crazy mech made and left on Cybertron."

"The library is saved?!" Moonracer smiled, eyes bright. Nightbeat's neon under-glow faded to grey and her facial plates tinted blue.

"Yes." The Special Ops femme nodded.

"Doesn't that makes you want to sing?" Flare-up gave Nightbeat a sly smirk.

"If you're taking a jab at my occupation back on Cybertron, it won't work." The blue femme sneered, optics narrowed. "How ever there are plenty of songs here on Earth that are quite entertaining."

"Perhaps I shall have a talk with Optimus." Elita hummed, smiling. "The entertainment would be good for morale."

"Yes, Elita." Nightbeat sighed. "I really must have a conversation with him myself, regarding Jazz."

The femme Commander was quiet as she pressed the side of her helm. "Optimus is in his office at the moment. He said he's not busy."

"Excellent. If you don't mind, I'm taking my leave." Nightbeat stood, leaving the femmes to their games.

The door slid open as she approached, revealing a silver mech and a golden one behind him. She lifted an optic ridge, arms tucked behind her back.

* * *

Sideswipe blinked down at the femme, her arms tucked behind her back and her optic ridge lifted. She seemed to be glowing, but Sideswipe couldn't really tell.

She was dark blue, and on one of of her shin-struts was a lighter blue patch. Her helm was smooth save for the pretty spikes along the sides of her helm and the wings behind them. A pair of wheels sat on her shoulders, and they also seemed to glow.

"Excuse me." She murmured, striding forward. Sideswipe stepped to the side and blinked his optics at her. Sunstreaker watched her go with an impassive face.

"She wasn't bad." The golden mech muttered, striding past his brother into the rec room.

"I wonder what she was called?" Sideswipe set his optics on the femmes playing cards, and skated over. "Hello, ladies."

"No." Arcee and Flare-up growled at the same time.

"What!? I hadn't asked anything yet!" He pouted.

"Femmes, enough. Let the mech talk." Chromia grinned, then turned her optics to the younger mech. "What do you want?"

"Who was the femme?"

"Which one?" Moonracer teased, glancing at Sunstreaker as he made his way over.

"The one with dark blue armour! I've never seen her before! Who is she? Where did she come from?!" Sideswipe crossed his arms.

"Well, Sides," Moonracer focused on him. "When a mech and a femme love each other-"

"Moonie! I don't need that talk again! I meant, where did you find her? And what's her designation?!"

"Ah." Elita chuckled. "Her designation is Nightbeat, and Ironhide found her and Blaster getting attacked by Eradicons in the Grand Canyon."

"I see."

"Are we done here?" Sunstreaker growled, still holding Energon. "I'd like to finish this, and then go recharge."

* * *

Nightbeat lifted a servo and rapped it in a staccato beat against the office door of the Autobot Commander.

It slid open and her optics were met Optimus's knee joint.

"I forgot how short I was compared to you." She snorted, turning her grin up to him.

"You are tall compared to the other femme bots, but we are not here to talk about such things. Please, come in." Optimus stepped aside and she strode in, leaping onto the chair set before the desk and then propping her feet onto the desk itself. Optimus shook his head.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Nightbeat?" He seated himself across from her and clasped his hands on the desk.

"Well, other than unexpectadly waking in the Med-Bay and having a scream-fest with dear old Hatchet," Nightbeat sighed, smirking. "I noticed the lack of my captain. And as his lieutenant, it's my job to know where he is, which I don't because I've just arrived on planet. Which begs the question, where is Jazz?"

"Jazz..." Optimus vented heavily, optics dimming. "Jazz has gone to the Well of Allsparks."

"How'd he die?" Nightbeat's smirk faded.

"I shall show you." The Prime pressed the side of his helm and a hologram lit the wall behind her. The femme turned, and her optics focused on the scene.

She watched, shoulders relaxed, as Jazz tried to delay Megatron when he appeared on the city war zone, covering for the human Captain's men and the cilivians. Despite the human's calls for him to fall back, Jazz faced Megatron alone, and all he got for the trouble was being blasted by the Decepticon leader's fusion cannon.

As Ironhide and Ratchet escourted the human boy, and the Allspark to safety, Megatron grabbed the small bot.

"_You wanna piece of me?! You wanna piece of me!?" _ The silver bot yelled, kicking at Megatron as the large mech grabbed him.

"_No! I want two!"_

Nightbeat watched as Megatron flexed his powerful arms, ripping Jazz in half as the Autobot let out a roar of pain. The large bronze Decepticon sneered, tossing Jazz's halves to the side.

Optimus was quiet as the hologram vanished. Nightbeat was silent, still turned away.

"A-and the Allspark? What happened to it?" She asked, deadly calm coating her words.

"The Allspark was destroyed when Samuel Witwicky placed it in his spark chamber. However, a shard remains; under human supervision in one of their most guarded faculties."

"I see. His death wasn't in vain then." Nightbeat turned back, optics closed as she wiped the single bright Energon tear off her cheek plates. "Business then; are there any other Special Ops bots here?"

"One yes." Optimus smiled softly. "His name is Mirage."

"I remember him." Nightbeat hummed, all traces of sadness vanishing from her person. "Suave, cocky, and totally obnoxious; a noble. Yes, I remember him."

"Shall I comm him?"

"Yes, do!" Nightbeat's glow flashed to an orange colour.

**::Optimus to Mirage. I need you in my office:: -Optimus; public link**

**::This is Mirage. I will be there in uno momento:: -Mirage; public link**

"Where did that accent come from?" Nightbeat laughed, placing her chin into her servo and staring at the door. The knock that came on the door seconds later made her smirk grow.

"You may enter." Optimus shook his head, arms clasped upon his desk again. The door slid open with a soft hiss and the noble mech entered the room.

"You wanted to see me, Prime?" Mirage asked, optic ridge lifted. Optimus wordlessly swept a hand at Nightbeat, who's smirk widened to a shit-eating-grin.

"You." He growled, optics narrowing.

"Good to see you, Mirage. I trust you've been following orders?"

"Lieutenant," He grumbled. "Such a pleasure. How is your voice? Is it well?"

"It's fine, thank you." Nightbeat scowled. "And your noble status? Oh wait, you don't have one anymore. Which reminds me, Optimus; I've saved the Iacon libraries."

"You have? That is excellent news." Optimus smiled. Mirage scowled.

"Thank you for meeting with me, Optimus. It was a pleasure to see you again. Mirage, why don't you take me on a grand tour, so I know what I'm working with?" Nightbeat slid from the chair and sauntered over to the red mech, who scowled.

"I suppose I can take time from my schedule to...show you around base, femme." He huffed, turning his nose into the air.

"Ah, ah, ah. That's Captain now."

"It is not my place to get between this argument," Optimus interrupted, both the Special Ops bots pausing beside the door. "But as Nightbeat is taking Jazz's place, she will also be taking his spot as my First Lieutenant."

"Of course." Mirage nodded his head. Nightbeat grinned, giving a lazily salute she knew Jazz was adept at using and strode out the door.

"First Lieutenant Nightbeat." She laughed. "I like it. Almost makes me want to sing."

"Shut up, femme."

A loud clang rang though the halls as the door to Optimus's office slid closed, making him chuckle as curses wafted through the metal door and walls.


	3. Spar

Mirage grumbled as he stepped into the Med-Bay, rubbing his helm. Ratchet glanced up as the red mech strode in, a scowl on his facial plates as he welded several plates back on Sideswipe's arm.

"What happened to you!?" Sideswipe stared, optics wide. Mirage growled. "You've got so many _dents_!"

"That slagging femme did this."

"Which one?" Sunstreaker smirked. "We've got a few now."

"Nightbeat. Ow! Ratchet, what was that for!?" Mirage rubbed the dent in his face.

"You shouldn't insult superiors around the medic. It means trouble." Ratchet growled.

"Wait? Nightbeat? The dark blue one?" Sideswipe looked confused. "She's Mirage's superior? I thought he was pretty high up on the food chain."

"You haven't checked the base's news today, have you?" Mirage slunk into a nearby chair. "It's all over."

"What is?"

Sunstreaker snorted, dimming his optics as he checked the news. The constant link was updated frequently by Prowl.

**Found: Femme Nightbeat and Communications Officer Blaster.**

**Promotion: Special Operations Lieutenant Nightbeat; Special Operations Captain and First Lieutenant Nightbeat.**

**Other News: special night, Friday. Rec room.**

"That femme is...the _FIRST LIEUTENANT_!" Sideswipe shrieked, earning a smack from Ratchet.

"Yes. She is...a lowly femme who does not deserve such a rank."

"You're just pissed because the position isn't yours." Sunstreaker snorted at Mirage, rising as Ratchet finished with his brother.

* * *

"I thought I'd find you here." Nightbeat glanced behind her, a smile lighting up her face as her underglow faded to magenta.

"Hey, Ironhide. I haven't seen you for a while." She chuckled, moving herself along the cliff faces so he could seat himself beside her.

"I could say the same about you. You're all grown up now." He grinned, nudging her with his elbow as he sat beside her.

"You're just saying that 'cause you're _old_."

"_Hey,_ you're nearly as old as me, femme!"

The two laughed, watching as the waves below them crashed against the rocks. Nightbeat was silent.

"Did Jazz...ever mention me?" She asked, drawing her knees to her chassis. Ironhide slung his arm around the femme's shoulder.

"He did. Jazz kept saying how boring we all were, and how you should have been there. He also said you'd like Earth music and how you'd put on a show. He kept bragging about how the humans named a type of music after him."

"He would, wouldn't he?" Nightbeat sighed, dropping her head onto Ironhide's shoulder. "I don't know what to do, Hide. I don't know many bots here, I've just gotten a promotion that puts me above everybot else, except Optimus, Elita, Prowl, and Chromia. I'm not going to be able to hang out with anyone...and now I sound like a whining youngling."

"You're a beautiful femme, Nightbeat. Both inside and out. Jazz was the most friendly of all the officers; a lot of bots were friends with him. You have a similar attitude, so you'll be just fine. And if anybot starts harassing you, come to me. I need a few more targets anyway."

"You're hilarious, Hide. But I don't think most mechs need an angry overprotective brotherly Ironhide coming after them. Besides, I'm a big femme. I can handle myself now."

"I mean it, Night." Ironhide prodded her shoulder, making the femme laugh. "And you're singing on Friday, by the way. That's kind of why I came out here."

"Well, Elita certainly moves fast." Nightbeat snorted, uncurling her legs.

"I know a certain little mech-bot that wants to see you again. He's coming Thursday."

"Bumblebee!? I haven't seen that little sweetspark for ages!" Nightbeat's underglow changed to orange and a smile split across her facial plates. Ironhide laughed, optics dimming.

"I've gotta go. Will wants me to do a cannon demonstration for the new recruits." The big black mech stood. Nightbeat leapt to her feet.

"Well, let's give 'em a real show then. I'm coming too."

* * *

"All right, rookies!" The human on the floor tucked his arms behind his back and scowled at the shifting new recruits. "Listen up! This here is Ironhide, the Autobot weapons specialist and Nightbeat, Optimus Prime's First Lieutenant. They're gonna give a demonstrations for us."

"That's a female robot?" One of the men in the line, eyes wide behind his wide-rimmed glasses. "Dude! Female robots are hot!"

Nightbeat lifted an optic ridge, and Ironhide scowled.

"The hot female robot," She shook her head as her underglow flashed several different colours. "Also as an overprotective brother standing beside her."

Ironhide growled, cannons charging up.

"She's your sister, Hide?" Major Lennox blinked. "I thought you didn't have any family?"

"We grew up together." Hide shrugged.

"We're here to give a demonstrations, right? Let's demonstrate." Nightbeat shook her head, winking down at the glasses-wearing human.

"Right. Ironhide and Nightbeat are going to show off their cannons, and if we've got time, maybe they'll spar a bit." The Major herded the rookies off to the side and lifted a remote from his pocket, clicking one of the buttons while pointing it over his shoulder.

Several moving targets sprang up on the far side of the room.

Ironhide and Nightbeat shared a grin, both subspacing large cannons. Nightbeat only had one, but both of Ironhide's arms turned to the large deadly guns. Nightbeat's took both her arms and hands to control, as it was rather large.

"I thought you were the Special Ops Captain?" Ironhide teased, as he fired several shots to the targets. Only one missed. "Isn't that a bit flashy?"

"Just like my underglow?" Nightbeat grinned, and all the colour shining from her armour and wheel wells vanished. She took aim and fired; the cannon surprisingly quiet. The plasma blast that came from it spilt into several smaller balls, and all of them crashed into their respective targets, completely obliterating them.

"If you leave your mouth open, you'll catch Cyberflies." Nightbeat subspaced her cannons with a grin, underglow appearing again.

The rookies clapped.

"Show off." Ironhide snarled, whirling on the targets again. Nightbeat watched as he shot them all down, and then subspaced the two blasters she had.

She also hit all the targets once they'd been set up again, and she struck a pose; hip jutting out, guns lifted as she blew the small amount of smoke from the top.

"Again. Female robot is hooooot~!"

"They're called femmes." Lennox glanced back. "And the guy robots are called mechs."

Ironhide glanced down at him, and then subspaced his cannons away.

"A sparring demonstration then?"

"You're one, old mech!"

* * *

**::Arcee to Chromia and Elita:: -Arcee**

**::What's wrong, Arcee?:: -Chromia**

**Elita-One is listening in**

**::You've gotta see this! Come to the training room!:: -Arcee**

Chromia stood, bringing the cube of high-grade in her hand with her as she skated down the hall on her single wheel. Elita met her at the corner and they ducked through the crowded entrance of the training room. Elita turned to where Optimus was standing near the wall, and he nodded to the two Autobots that were currently sparring.

Elita lifted an optic ridge, observing the two.

* * *

Nightbeat smirked, spinning around Ironhide's upper cut and returning it with a punch of her own. The large black mech caught her fist, which was careening for his face, and he swung her up and over his head in an attempt to throw her.

Nightbeat caught his shoulder with her pede, and using his back, threw the larger Autobot to the ground, before subspacing her Cybertanium blades. They slid easily into her hands, one held backwards and the other forwards. She had another blade hidden on the side of her arm, and one hidden in her right wrist, but the femme wouldn't reveal those yet.

She lowered the backwards blade in her left hand to Ironhide's throat, only for him to throw her across the room in a simple movement. Her right wheel caught on the lighting panel, and the impact plunged the room into blackness.

Nightbeat scowled, shutting off her underglow and sliding down the visor all Special Ops bots were given, hiding all glows that she had, before assessing the situation.

Ironhide was big, not very quiet, but he was black and so was the training room, which also echoed horribly.

However, she had the advantage here. She was the Captain of the Special Operations Corporation, used to working in the dark, and she knew how to absolutely silent. She also had a neat trick up her sleeve.

Ironhide grunted, optics searching the dark. A sudden flare of amber caught his optic, and he grinned, pouncing on the femme in her momentary lapse of concentration. His helm hit the wall and the lights flared back on.

Nightbeat had vanished. He growled, helm turning this way and that as he searched desperately. He vaguely noticed Mirage, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker appear in the doorway before a weight dropped onto his shoulders and he was on the ground.

He felt more than saw the blades that pressed against two sides of his throat, and Ironhide fell still, helm turned slightly to gaze at the smirking femme seated on his shoulders and back.

"Well?" She asked, amusement in her tone.

"You win." Nightbeat grinned, subspacing the blades and sliding her visor back into her helm. Her underglow lit up again, and she extended a hand to Ironhide as she stood.

"Well done, Nightbeat." Optimus smiled, stepping forward. "I was right in my decision to promote you."

"Sure thing, boss bot." She grinned, giving a lazy salute. "But I think Ironhide's getting soft in his old age."

"Hey!"

"I told you not to strain your leg." Ratchet growled, stomping forward to scan the wound.

"Ah, Ratch. It doesn't hurt." He gave her a Look and smacked the wound sharply. Nightbeat flinched and then gave a sheepish smile. "Much."

"Stupid femme." He cuffed her over the head, and chucked a wrench over his shoulder at a whispering Arcee and Flare-up. It ricocheted off Arcee's helm and hit Flare-up's.

"I may be old, but I'm _not_ soft and I can _hear_ you!"

"Sorry, Hatchet!"

Two more wrenches smacked them and the femme-bots whimpered.


	4. Storm

Bumblebee rolled into the NEST base, excited chirps barraging the passengers he had within his interior.

"We know you're excited to see everyone again, Bee." The young male pat the dash and smiled at his girlfriend. The yellow Camaro slid to a halt at the check-in-point and Sam, the male, reached out to swipe the card that NEST had sent them. The machine made a soft beeping noise, the gate before them slid open, and Bumblebee zipped forward.

Two cars swerved out to meet the yellow scout, one a large black Topkick holding Epps and Will and the second a dark blue Aston Martin that sent bright colours flashing along the pavement.

Bee beeped at them and the three vehicles skid to a halt. Ironhide's two front doors popped open and a dizzy looking Will and Epps stumbled out. The Aston Martin's passenger door flew open and let out a grinning Fig as Bee let out his two passengers.

The sound of metal against metal and turning gears made the humans step back. All three of the cars transformed and Ironhide grinned down at the yellow Autobot, who beeped at him in greeting before turning to the second bot.

Sam gazed at the new bot, which was obviously a femme. Her dark blue armour was shining in the sunlight as she smiled at Bumblebee. Sam and Mikaela lurched backwards as their guardian suddenly tackled the femme, and let out a string of beeping. The femme laughed.

"Good to see you too, Bumble."

Bumblebee pulled on her arm insistently and dragged her around the corner.

"Who was that?" Sam blinked as the two bots vanished.

"That's Nightbeat." Ironhide glanced down at them. "She's the First Lieutenant and the Commander of the Special Ops."

"I thought..." Mikaela frowned. "Wasn't that Jazz's job?"

"Since Jazz is offline," Ironhide's optics dimmed as he mentioned his old friend's name. "His Lieutenant had to take over. Nightbeat was his lieutenant. So, she's holding his job."

"Oh." Sam nodded, deciding that it made sense. "Why was Bee so happy to see her?"

"She's like what you humans call an...aunt. I raised Bumblebee, and Nightbeat is very close to me." The weapons specialist shrugged. "Enjoy your stay here. And come to the rec room tomorrow night."

"Why?" Sam glanced at Will, who shrugged.

"No idea. We're going though."

* * *

"Alright, calm down."

"_But I can't!_" Bumble whistled in Cybertronian to Nightbeat, who was striding through the base like she owned the place, arms placed behind her head. "I'm so excited, I just can't hide it!"

Nightbeat laughed, grinning over her shoulder.

"_How'd you get here? Tell me, tell me!" _The yellow Camaro jumped up and down like the youngling he was.

"Blaster and I crashed in the Grand Canyon, nearly got killed by a bunch of Eradicons, and then we were brought back."

"_That's it?"_

"What? Did you expect an amazing adventure story? Sorry, Bee." Nightbeat smiled at the 'bot. "But, I did pick up something before Starscream attacked us in the Zeta-Phi system."

She tossed him him a small silver box, and Bumblebee blinked at her before opening it. His already large optics grew twice the size.

"Just don't eat them all at-"

"_ENERGON GOODIES!_"

* * *

"So, what exactly is going on in the rec room on Friday?" Will looked at Ironhide as the weapons specialist, who was doing what he did best in his off time, shooting things. Funnily enough, that was what he was good at in his on-time too.

"What? Oh, Nightbeat is preforming."

"Huh? She's...preforming?" Epps crossed his arms, staring up at the black mech.

"Back on Cybertron, Nightbeat was part of the entertainment caste. Elita-One and Optimus thought if she preformed it would give the troops a boost. Or something like that."

"Entertainment caste?"

"Like the actors, actresses and singers here on Earth."

"Oh."

* * *

"Blaster," Nightbeat propped her hands on her hips. "As much as I _love _your...improvisations, could you please 'spin the tune' properly so I can practice."

"Aw, Nightbeat!" Blaster pouted at her, arms crossed over his chassis. "You're no fun!"

Nightbeat narrowed her optics at him, tapping one of her heeled pedes against the makeshift stage erected in the rec room. The door was locked at the moment, baring any who wished to come in unless they had the proper password.

"Blaster." The two full-sized Cybertronians glanced down at the gold Cassette-feline seated on one of the tables. "Let her practice."

"Steeljaw-"

"Rewind, _what _are you doing?" Nightbeat stared at the black Cassette climbing a chair. He'd been switching seats every ten minutes.

"I'm an archivist. I'm _archiving_. This could be an _important_ conversation!" Rewind pointed the tiny camera on the side of his head at her. The bots shared looks and laughed.

"I will never understand you, 'wind."

"Let's take it from the top then." Blaster shook his head, amusement playing through his optics as he started the music in his DJ booth up again.

Unfortunately, the door opened and the group of Autobots inside stopped what they were doing. The opened door revealed Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, two of the more handsome mechs on base, standing with their arms crossed in the doorway.

"Why was the door locked?" Sideswipe asked.

"Ooooh~! More footage." Rewind muttered. "This is gonna be _good._"

"Excuse me?" Nightbeat's optics narrowed into slits and she folded her arms across her chassis as she strode towards him. "Doors are usually locked for a reason."

"I know." The silver bot grinned, striding forward to meet her in the middle in the room. "I'm Sideswipe."

"_I know. _Get out."

"Why? Were you busy? We'll sit quietly in the corner, and not make a peep!" He grinned.

"Oh, boy." Blaster rounded the DJ table, and planted his hand on the Autobot's shoulder as Nightbeat's underglow darkened to black. "That there is an femme; one of the most dangerous creatures in all the universe. One hit and you're dead."

Nightbeat growled to hide her laughter. The show '_Crocodile Hunter_' was one of the first shows Blaster had watched on Earth.

"She's angry! She's angry! Run!" Sideswipe took one look at the glower Nightbeat was sending him, before speeding out of the rec room on his wheeled pedes. "He didn't get to poke you with a stick."

"I'm rather glad he didn't."

* * *

Friday rolled around, and the heavens decided to open the skies and dump rain on the Diego Garcia Base. Wind lashed against the windows, and the leaves of the palm trees around the base slapped against the pavement and windows.

Any and all personal had hidden indoors, and no body was going any where, including the Autobots. Ratchet had warned them against rust, and if they didn't dry properly, then they would _definably _rust.

The door wingers -Bumblebee, Prowl, and Mudflap- were all in bad moods, sulking in their berth rooms, or in Prowl's case, diving helm first into the stacks of paper work on his desk.

However, in the femmes' case, they were lounging in one of the less used hangers they'd commandeered. It was leaking into barrels in the corners, and there was a tarp stretched across part of the entrance, as the hanger door didn't close all the way.

Inside, half the lights were busted, and all the windows had sheets of semi-transparent plastic over them. Prototype Autobot furniture had been distributed throughout the room and they'd been given large pillows made of coarse material. The couches were sometimes half mangled, and looked like pieces of strange art more than furniture, but for the femmes, it worked.

Their "secret club-house" was stocked with a small supply of Energon, as well as having it's own wash racks. Elita had issued the wash rack while the main racks were being constructed, and the femmes had built it without so much as an optic twitch from the mechs building the main rack. They were too busy arguing and showing off to notice the extra supplies vanishing and that the femmes weren't actually there.

The locking mechanism on the front of the hanger had a password only known by the femmes and Optimus.

This was where the femmes were hiding, laughing at several jokes and acting like immature young adults, which some of them were.

"-and then," Nightbeat grinned, taking a sip of her high grade. "The little tentacle organics came for him. Blaster screamed like the femling! It was so funny. The organics were super friendly, but they got a little touchy."

"How touchy?" Flare-up grinned, swinging her pedes against the bottom of her chair. "Creator touchy, or...?"

"Perverted spark-mate touchy." Nightbeat snickered. "And they preferred mechs!"

The femme hanger erupted into shrieks of laughter which drowned out pounding rain.

"What happened?" Chromia leaned against her leg, blue optics bright. Nightbeat stood and struck a very Blaster-like pose, before hopping around and screeching like a small sparkling seeing a harmless Cybider for the first time.

Elita snorted before she fell against the arm rest of her couch laughing. The femmes stared at their Commander in shock before Chromia started snickering and the femmes were full out gwaffing.

"I missed this." Nightbeat smiled as she sat make on her more-art-than-couch couch.

"Why were you screaming when you woke up in the Med-Bay, Beat? If you don't mind me asking." Flare-up bit her lip plating, looking at the older femme with curious, but nervous, optics.

Nightbeat flinched, before she propped her helm on her hands. "It's not something I like to think about, but I can give you a brief explanation. It was during the third vorn of the war, and yes, I'm _that _old."

"Well, I think you've aged quite nicely." Moonracer spoke up from her perch.

"Thank you, Moonie. Anyway, I worked under Jazz in the Special Operations unit, and I was on a mission. I was captured by the Decepticons. They did some pretty nasty things, and now I'm terrified of medics and Med-Bays."

"Thank you for sharing." Flare-up shuffled over and hugged the dark blue femme. Moonracer joined them, and soon there was a pile of hugging femmes. "It must have been hard."

Nightbeat smiled.

"Well, I'm with the Autobots now, and I'm working on my fear. Ratchet isn't the best person to do that, and I'd much prefer I had First Aid, but there's only so much I can do, right?" She shrugged.

* * *

_And speaking of First Aid..._

"Aid, that huuurts!"

"Please, Hotshot, hold still. I'm nearly done."

"Yeah, Shot. Hold still."

"Hound, you're _not _helping. Stop poking Powerglide. You're going to-"

"Oops. Was that important?"

"Hound, _please _leave the Med-Bay. Powerglide and Hotshot still need repairing. And who's steering Teletran II?"

"Right...I should probably do that, shouldn't I?"

"Hound, you're an idiot."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious."

"The name's _Hotshot._"

"I know."

First Aid dropped his head to the metal of the berth Hotshot was laying on.

"I don't know why I bother anymore..."

* * *

**Poor First Aid...  
**

**Hi, guess what?! I updated!**


	5. Diamonds

**I suggest you look the songs up and listen to them while reading this chapter. The first is ****Lea Salonga on Fox 5 NEWS singing **_**Empty Chairs at Empty Tables**_**, and the second is **_**Footprints in the Sand**_**, by Leona Lewis. **

**Then to make you more depressed, imagine ****Jazz**_**.**_

**The ones after that are _Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend_ by Marilyn Monroe, _No Air_ by Jordan Sparks feat. Chris Brown (or Blaster in our case), _Mi Morena_ by Josh Groban.**

* * *

Nightbeat hummed as she buffed her armour and adjusted the strands of gold chain dripping with gems hanging from the spikes protecting her audials. Gems made well placed swirls in the hub-caps of her wheels and on her arms and shoulders. The lines of white gems continued over her abdominal plates, which were exposed, and down her legs to the heeled pedes.

Several smaller gems framed her blue optics, and they sent fractures of blue light scattering like human glitter. Nightbeat's underglow was set and locked in purple, and the gems on her body refracted the light as well.

Nightbeat -in the human fashion of makeup- had 'borrowed' a miniscule amount of gold paint from Sunstreaker, and had lined the gems around her optics with the paint.

The lounging yellow Cassette at her pedes nudged her shin strut.

"Blaster, says that it's time for a sound check." Steeljaw strode to the door, and sat beside it as he couldn't reach the lock.

* * *

As most sound checks go, Nightbeat had to sing several of the songs she'd chosen to preform that night. The door was partly open for the most part, and as she finished the vocal exercises she'd watched humans do on Youtube -although she didn't need to do it- there were a pair of small Twins watching her in awe.

"Yo, man. That shit's dope!" The red one grinned, slamming his hands together.

"That shit right there, that's amazing!" The green one nodded. "Do some more!"

Nightbeat raised an optic ridge at Blaster, who shrugged. "You might as well start your set now."

"I suppose."

"_There's a grief that can't be spoken. There's a pain goes on and on. Empty chairs at empty tables, now my friends are dead and gone. Here they talked of revolution. Here it was they lit the flame. Here they sang about `tomorrow', and tomorrow never came."_

_"From the table in the corner, they could see a world reborn and they rose with voices ringing. I can hear them now! The very words that they had sung became their last communion on the lonely barricade at dawn."_

_"Oh my friends, my friends forgive me. That I live and you are gone. There's a grief that can't be spoken. There's a pain goes on and on."_

_"Phantom faces at the window. Phantom shadows on the floor. Empty chairs at empty tables where my friends will meet no more. Oh my friends, my friends, don't ask me what your sacrifice was for. Empty chairs at empty tables where my friends will meet no more..."_

The soft clapping in the now fully open doorway revealed a teary optic'd Elita, Optimus and a crying Prowl, although he tried to hide it.

"I see your talent hasn't vanished, Nightbeat. You sound wonderful." Elita smiled, wiping away a tear that spilled from her optic.

"Thank you. It's a pity my holographic projector was damaged before we left Cybertron." Nightbeat smiled, bowing slightly with her arms out.

"Mudflap, Skidz; I see you're already here." Optimus smiled at the young awestruck Autobots as piano started for the next song. Blaster grinned, optics hidden behind his visor and his Cassettes crowded around him.

"_You walked with me, footprints in the sand, and helped me understand where I'm going. You walked with me when I was all alone, with so much I know along the way. Then I heard you say, _

_I promise you, I'm always there when your heart is filled with sorrow and despair. I'll carry you when you need a friend. You'll find my footprints in the sand._

_I see my life flash across the sky. So many times have I been so afraid and just when I have thought I lost my way, you give me strength to carry on. That's when I heard you say,_

_I promise you, I'm always there when your heart is filled with sorrow and despair. And I'll carry you when you need a friend. You'll find my footprints in the sand._

_When I'm weary, well, I know you'll be there and I can feel you when you say I promise you, I'm always there when your heart is filled with sadness and despair. I'll carry you when you need a friend. You'll find my footprints in the sand. I promise you, I'm always there when your heart is full of sadness and despair. I'll carry you when you need a friend. You'll find my footprints in the sand..."_

**-;-**

Sideswipe glided down the empty hallways of the NEST base, making zigzag patterns as his twin followed behind him. As a joint unit, the twins wondered where in Pit everyone was.

"Wait a kilk." Sunstreaker stopped in the middle of the hall. "Wasn't there some _thing _in the rec room today?"

"Oh riiiight! Let's go look!"

They were close to the rec room, but the door was shut, as it was sometimes, but not locked. It slid open, when Sideswipe typed the pass-code in. As the silver door slid open, the Twins were met with a sudden wall of sound.

"The French are glad to die for love, they delight in fighting duels, but I prefer a man who lives and gives," Sideswipe's optics were drawn to the dark blue femme standing slightly above everyone else. Nightbeat's optics flickered over to where he and Sunstreaker were standing, and she gave a sly smile and wink. "Expensive jewels."

"_A kiss on the hand may be quite continental, but diamonds are a girl's best friend. A kiss may be grand... but it won't pay the rental on your humble flat, or help you feed your, meow, pussycat! Men grow cold as girls grow old and we all lose our charms in the end. But square cut or pear shape these rocks don't lose their shape! Diamonds are a girl's best friend!_

"_... Tiffany's! ... Cartier! Black Star, Frost, Gorham! Talk to me Harry Winston tell me all about it! There may come a time when a lass needs a lawyer, but diamonds are a girl's best friend. There may come a time when a hard boiled employer thinks you're awful nice, but get that ice or else no dice. He's your guy when stocks are high but beware when they start to descend. It's then that those louses go back to their spouses. Diamonds are a girl's best friend!"_

_"I've heard of affairs that are strictly platonic, but diamonds are a girl's best friend. And I think affairs that you must keep liaisonic are better bets. If little pets get big baguettes. Time rolls on and youth is gone and you can't straighten up when you bend, but stiff back or stiff knees you stand straight at... Tiffany's..."_

_"Diamonds... diamonds... I don't mean rhinestones... but diamonds... are a girls best... best friend!"_

Nightbeat threw one of her arms in the air, subspacing a decorative crystal that shone with multicoloured lights she projected from the underglow on her arm.

"That's a big-ass diamond." Lennox muttered, easily heard in the silence following Nightbeat's performance.

"I'll take requests if you want." She laughed, optics focused on the Twins.

"Yo, yo, do that one about air!" Mudflap yelled, jumping to his feet.

"Bro, dat's girly music!" Skidz grumbled. "Why you listen to dat?"

"Blaster, you wanna join me?" The orange and red mech grinned at the femme, striding to where she was standing.

"Steeljaw, you're in charge."

"_Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air. If I should die before I wake, it's 'cause you took my breath away. Losing you is like living in a world with no air. Oh."_

_"I'm here alone, didn't wanna leave. My heart won't move, it's incomplete. Wish there was a way that I can make you understand._" Blaster joined in, his strong alto rolling through the room.

"_But how do you expect me to live alone with just me. 'Cause my world revolves around you. It's so hard for me to breath,"_

_"Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air. Can't live, can't breathe with no air. It's how I feel whenever you ain't there. It's no air, no air. Got me out here in the water so deep, tell me how you gonna be without me. If you ain't here, I just can't breathe. It's no air, no air. No air, air. No air, air. No air, air. No air, air."_

"_I walked, I ran, I jumped, I flew, right off the ground to float to you. There's no gravity to hold me down for real."_

_"But somehow I'm still alive inside. You took my breath, but I survived. I don't know how, but I don't even care."_

_"So how do you expect me to live alone with just me. 'Cause my world revolves around you. It's so hard for me to breathe. No air, air. No air, air. No air, air. No air, air. No more. It's no air, no air. No air, air. No air, air. No air, air. No air, air. Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air. Can't live, can't breathe with no air. It's how I feel whenever you ain't there. It's no air, no air."_

_"Got me out here in the water so deep, tell me how you gonna be without me. If you ain't here, I just can't breathe. It's no air, no air. No air, air. No air, air. No air, air. No air."_

* * *

"Optimus, is there anything you and Elita want to hear?" Nightbeat smiled down at the Autobot Commanders. The rec room was empty, save for Optimus, Elita, Ratchet, Ironhide, Moonracer, Chromia, and the Twins.

"Elita?" The blue and red custom mech glanced at his spark-mate.

The three femmes in the room conversed over the femme bond, and Nightbeat smiled, remotely accessing the speakers that had previously pumped out loud music, courtesy of Blaster. The mech had retired to his room a few hours earlier.

"_And so my love from __my window I can see a beautiful vision. And when the music plays, your body rises like a bird of grace. Mi morena, I saw you dancing in the rain. Holy water. Shining like a silver flame. Come like a ghost, I will watch you dance alone. Mi morena, You're the light within my soul._"  
_  
"And so my love the way you're moving in your dress to a nylon guitar on wings of silk and lace. You lift upon the notes and slip away. Mi morena, I saw you dancing in the rain. Holy water. Shining like a silver flame. Come like a ghost, I will watch you dance alone. Mi morena, you're the light within my __soul. Take this cross of feathers and bone, take this heart I've carved in stone, in your name."_

"_Where the setting sun surrenders to the moon, Mi querida, I wait for you. Mi morena, Hold your hands out to the night. Be my lover, I will fall into your eyes. Sweet fire of love. For you I'd steal the stars, `cause I adore you. O my morena."_

* * *

"What are you?" Nightbeat spun, pulling her blades from subspace and throwing them as she turned and subspaced her blasters.

The older Twins stood behind her, staring at the blades impaled in the wall where their sparks would be. Her optics narrowed, and her blasters hummed a little louder, bringing their attention back to her.

"Hi!" The silver one chirped, grinning. He swiftly pulled one of the blades from the wall and handed it to her. "I think this is yours."

"_What_ are you doing?" The dark blue femme hissed, snatching the blade back and subspacing it with her blasters. "Everybot is supposed to be in recharge. The humans most certainly are."

"We were waiting for you." The gold one crossed his arms, glaring.

"Outside the wash racks?" Nightbeat crossed her arms, cocking her hip out. Her body language revealed she was annoyed, and her optics told the Twins that the femme was exhausted.

"Yeah. We're curious. Who are you? And what are you?" The silver bot crossed his arms, mirroring his Twins' posture.

The femme pulled herself to her full height. "I am First Lieutenant Nightbeat. And I am a femme."

"Well, we could tell you were a femme. What caste did you come from?" The gold one snorted.

"Entertainment."

"You have a sub-caste?" The silver one tilted his head, rocking on his wheeled pedes.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Nightbeat growled. "Now, who are you?"

"I'm Sideswipe! That's my brother Sunn-"

"Sunstreaker." The gold one snapped, cutting his brother off. Sideswipe pouted and Nightbeat lifted an optic ridge.

The twins were easily sixteen feet tall, with handsome faces and model-like bodies. They looked strong, cocky, and their paint was perfect; buffed, and shiny. Sideswipe was the more childish looking of the two, with glimmers of mischief in his blue optics. Sunstreaker was the more vain of the two, as his armour was polished and waxed better than his brother's. He had a grumpy expression on his facial plates, and no wheels on his feet.

"Wait." Sudden realization dawned on Nightbeat and she grinned. "Sunstreaker. _The_ Sunstreaker?"

The gold mech looked surprised, but he nodded, and his arms dropped slightly.

"Yeah."

"I'm such a fan of your work!" Nightbeat grinned, practically bouncing on her pedes, a large smile on her lip components. "I managed to save an entire collection of data pads with your paintings on them."

"The entire collection." Sunstreaker looked dumbfound. Sideswipe shared his expression. "You saved the entire collection."

"Yeah! And most of the Iacon libraries." She nodded.

"You saved every painting I have ever done in my life-cycle."

"Yeah..."

"Okay, now that Sunny's processor has been blown, where are they?" Sideswipe smacked his brother on the back of the helm, bringing a loud curse from the gold mech.

"In my berth room. We can go get them. They do belong to you." Nightbeat nodded down the hallway, spinning the tires on her shoulders and making her neon underglow flash.


End file.
